The U.S. version of the App Store facilitated $406 billion in developer billings and sales during the past year, according to Apple.

The findings are based on a study by Professor Andrey Fradkin from Boston University Questrom School of Business, and economist Dr. Jessica Burley from Analysis Group, according to a press release issued Thursday (May 29).

The release stated that developers didn’t pay any commission to Apple for over 90% of the billings and sales facilitated by the App Store. The App Store ecosystem has almost tripled in size over the last five years, from $142 billion in 2019 to $406 billion last year, and earnings for U.S.-based developers have more than doubled. Earnings for small developers, in particular, increased by 76% between 2021 and 2024.

the study estimates that the App store ecosystem facilitated $277 billion in total billings and sales from physical goods and services, $75 billion from in-app advertising, and $53 billion from digital goods and services last year, according to the release.Growth in food and grocery delivery, entertainment, and enterprise apps were among the main drivers.

According to the release, spending on travel and food delivery and pickup both surpassed ride-hailing, as users increasingly used apps to book travel, and restaurants increasingly offered delivery options through apps.

U.S. developers also saw increased earnings across top categories like productivity,education,and business,with game developers garnering the highest earnings last year.

AI Integration and Fraud Prevention

The news follows a report that Apple plans to roll out tools allowing third-party developers to write software using the large language models that power Apple Intelligence, the company’s artificial intelligence system.

“And the App Store continues to be a global launchpad for innovation, with AI-powered apps increasingly shaping users’ daily lives,”

Apple is expected to